Can anyone recommend a personal trainer?

[SlinkyMike]

Preferably CBD or Atlantic seaboard.

Basically: I have hit my 30s, metabolism is not what it used to be. I sit in front of a computer constantly and I am getting fat.

Strike that - I have become fat. Certainly chubbier than I am comfortable with. I have a slightly 'stickie outie' tummy and I'm not even going to try an be cute by using words like moobs - I have tits.

I am a man. With tits.

Small ones but they are there, put it like this: fitted tees are highly embarrassing and I know for a fact my mates have been taking the piss behind my back. I know it's vain but I feel terrible and I want to change.

I'm kind of a lazy person... well, maybe not, I mean: I do stuff but just fun/exciting/make me feel good stuff... not work as in: work of that gut work.

I know that I need to eat less and train more but I haven't anyone to go to gym with and I think a good trainer with experience and intelligence on the subject at hand will make a big difference.

Anyone got a lead?

 

[Ecco]

You dont always need a personal trainer to work out at the gym. Some gyms when you join, will have a trainer help you out for a week or two. Once you know some of the exercises and correct technique for them you can gym on your own.

Thereafter if you need new exercises you can just ask the gym staff on hand, they will help you out.

 

[SlyFly]

Although you don't need a personal trainer, I would recommend you get a gym partner, that's the only way to keep motivated in the beginning... Maybe ask around if someone is interested or post an ad on GumTree (Maybe a bit dodge) that you're looking for a gym partner.

I started with a gym partner and now that I am on a reasonable level of fitness I gym on my own if he can't make it, but to start without one and keep going is quite hard... Otherwise you could join the gym and talk to a few people that seem to be on your level aswell and ask if they wouldn't want to partner up...

It's all about motivation really, if you don't feel like hitting the gym you won't, unless someone else is pushing you to or you feel bad if you drop that person or whatever...

Good Luck btw I know of a Personal Trainer in the Bellville area...

 

[plazma]

If you control your eating and go for a hard 45-minute walk on the beach every 2nd day (at least), you'll rapidly shed weight.

If you don't start exercising, you'll be a diabetic by the time you hit 40.

 

[SlinkyMike]

If you control your eating and go for a hard 45-minute walk on the beach every 2nd day (at least), you'll rapidly shed weight.

If you don't start exercising, you'll be a diabetic by the time you hit 40.

Cardio is not the best way to lose fat - weight training is. Diet and cardio is frustratingly ineffective and IMO one of the main reasons people just resign themselves to tubbiness... up at dawn for a 40min run each day, aching muscles, bad knees... and a couple of beers is enough to counteract any good you might have done?

That does not seem like fighting a losing battle, it is fighting a losing battle.

 

[SlinkyMike]

Revisiting this...

Please can any weight trainer types chime in... maybe the wrong forum but I seem to remember some 'brekers' who had some knowledge.

I see that it is possible for a nominal fee to purchase ones own bench and weights. I guess this is going in completely the other direction from personal trainer but I think I might get round to it more often if I was able to snatch 20min here and 20min there for a workout as opposed to the 2 hour mission that is a visit to the gym.

Would a bench, some weights and a long pole (I hope I am 'down' with the terminology here) for bench presses and two small ones allowing for me to fashion dumbbells of variable weight be sufficient to allow me to to some decent weight training (for the purpose of burning fat?)

I believe that circuit and other machines are not really as important as free weights, hence my reasoning that this could be enough... anyone got an opinion?

 

[Waaib]

One of those Polar watches with guided exercise programs could help you. www.polarusa.com .
When I had a personal trainer she always said that you need at least 40min exercise for it to make a real impact.

 

[Geriatrix]

Okay Mike, here's the solution to your dilemma. I can guarantee you results. But it'll be damn hard.

1.)Exercise. Do something that doesn't bore you. I hate going to the gym and running. I'd rather clean toilets. So. Do something fun and engaging. I found a martrial arts club and have tons of fun and get plenty of exercise. Also look into kettlebell training. Its awesome too.

2.)Diet is more important than exercise believe it or not. So here's the best lifestyle change out there. The Paleo Diet. Its magic. You'll lose weight like you won't believe and get healthier than you can possibly imagine. Here's a rundown on whats wrong with the "modern" diet. Its a long clip but its very informative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Here's a site to get you started. Marksdailyapple. He tries to sell you stuff but there's some usefull stuff on there. Also just google Paleo diet. And before people come and go "Hurr Durr....low carb bad...Hurr Durr....", no its mostly fruits and veggies and protein. Not just protein.

 

[syntax]

Okay Mike, here's the solution to your dilemma. I can guarantee you results. But it'll be damn hard.

1.)Exercise. Do something that doesn't bore you. I hate going to the gym and running. I'd rather clean toilets. So. Do something fun and engaging. I found a martrial arts club and have tons of fun and get plenty of exercise. Also look into kettlebell training. Its awesome too.

2.)Diet is more important than exercise believe it or not. So here's the best lifestyle change out there. The Paleo Diet. Its magic. You'll lose weight like you won't believe and get healthier than you can possibly imagine. Here's a rundown on whats wrong with the "modern" diet. Its a long clip but its very informative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Here's a site to get you started. Marksdailyapple. He tries to sell you stuff but there's some usefull stuff on there. Also just google Paleo diet. And before people come and go "Hurr Durr....low carb bad...Hurr Durr....", no its mostly fruits and veggies and protein. Not just protein.

Which martial arts u doing?

 

[Ecco]

Revisiting this...

Please can any weight trainer types chime in... maybe the wrong forum but I seem to remember some 'brekers' who had some knowledge.

I see that it is possible for a nominal fee to purchase ones own bench and weights. I guess this is going in completely the other direction from personal trainer but I think I might get round to it more often if I was able to snatch 20min here and 20min there for a workout as opposed to the 2 hour mission that is a visit to the gym.

Would a bench, some weights and a long pole (I hope I am 'down' with the terminology here) for bench presses and two small ones allowing for me to fashion dumbbells of variable weight be sufficient to allow me to to some decent weight training (for the purpose of burning fat?)

I believe that circuit and other machines are not really as important as free weights, hence my reasoning that this could be enough... anyone got an opinion?

I reckon go to the gym.

Although free weights are great, machines are also good to target very specific parts of your muscles.
Also in order to see progress you have to alter your workout often, otherwise you will plateau. And the variety of machines you can use at a gym can help in this department.

The same laziness you will feel to go to they gym is the same laziness you will feel to workout at home. So thinking it will be easier if you gym at home is not always the answer.

 

[Geriatrix]

Which martial arts u doing?

Taijiquan and Paqua Quan.

 

[syntax]

I reckon go to the gym.

Although free weights are great, machines are also good to target very specific parts of your muscles.
Also in order to see progress you have to alter your workout often, otherwise you will plateau. And the variety of machines you can use at a gym can help in this department.

The same laziness you will feel to go to they gym is the same laziness you will feel to workout at home. So thinking it will be easier if you gym at home is not always the answer.

yeah, i agree, i have some weights etc at home...never use em...
To get myself to gym, i pack my stuff, go to work, and go straight from there...if i get home, i somehow find something to do more important than gym...

 

[SlinkyMike]

OK so general consensus is that the home gym will become a white elephant before long.

I'll take that on board because I was not looking forward to explaining to my wife that I was going to be taking up a room with some medieval looking equipment.

Geriatrix: thanks for the suggestion but even if a fad diet were to come out tomorrow with several decades of HARD science backing it up I'd still never use it as I have been so hard on others for bouncing from Atkins to South beach to Holfords mumbo jumbo etc... I'd never live it down.

My basic guide nutrition wise is Michael Pollans book: In Defense of Food: An eaters manifesto. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone who has not read it. There is TONS of 'Hippie be gone!' ammunition that can easily be used when some nutter starts pushing 'superfoods' on you

He wrote a great article in the New York Times too, Unhappy Meals - 12 pages but there is a print version to get past the annoying 'next page' clicking and it is definitely worth the read.

My basic plan at this stage is to change the way that I eat as much as what I eat.
What I eat:
I am kicking cool drinks out completely.
Sorry beer -you too pal... good times were had but I cant bear to look in the mirror at this stage, you gotta go.
White bread and white flour pasta are also out.
Fried foods be gone (this is the tough one - I 'naturally' tend toward a good fry up or plate of slap chips.)
I have a fairly good grasp on what kind and where carbs, fats and proteins can be found so I'll use that knowledge to inform my choices.

The way I eat:
I plan to split my 3 meals a day in half and space them by 3 hours so I will have six meals a day with half the portion size.
I need to drink more water - people recommend 3 litres plus a day, I'll really struggle to drink that much but I think I can get to about 2 litres, I'll see form there.

I am hoping to avoid counting calories and I am dead against supplements and protein shakes and the like but I think that the above changes combined with a regular weight training schedule to increase muscle thus increasing the amount of energy consumed during a given day should yield result within a few months.

 

[Geriatrix]

OK so general consensus is that the home gym will become a white elephant before long.

I'll take that on board because I was not looking forward to explaining to my wife that I was going to be taking up a room with some medieval looking equipment.

Geriatrix: thanks for the suggestion but even if a fad diet were to come out tomorrow with several decades of HARD science backing it up I'd still never use it as I have been so hard on others for bouncing from Atkins to South beach to Holfords mumbo jumbo etc... I'd never live it down.

My basic guide nutrition wise is Michael Pollans book: In Defense of Food: An eaters manifesto. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone who has not read it. There is TONS of 'Hippie be gone!' ammunition that can easily be used when some nutter starts pushing 'superfoods' on you

He wrote a great article in the New York Times too, Unhappy Meals - 12 pages but there is a print version to get past the annoying 'next page' clicking and it is definitely worth the read.

My basic plan at this stage is to change the way that I eat as much as what I eat.
What I eat:
I am kicking cool drinks out completely.
Sorry beer -you too pal... good times were had but I cant bear to look in the mirror at this stage, you gotta go.
White bread and white flour pasta are also out.
Fried foods be gone (this is the tough one - I 'naturally' tend toward a good fry up or plate of slap chips.)
I have a fairly good grasp on what kind and where carbs, fats and proteins can be found so I'll use that knowledge to inform my choices.

The way I eat:
I plan to split my 3 meals a day in half and space them by 3 hours so I will have six meals a day with half the portion size.
I need to drink more water - people recommend 3 litres plus a day, I'll really struggle to drink that much but I think I can get to about 2 litres, I'll see form there.

I am hoping to avoid counting calories and I am dead against supplements and protein shakes and the like but I think that the above changes combined with a regular weight training schedule to increase muscle thus increasing the amount of energy consumed during a given day should yield result within a few months.

Pollans book is very good and I've seen good results from people who've read it and followed its advice. You'll do well to follow its advice. Please note though the Paleo diet is not a fad diet, its basically the same as Pollons book, its just taken to the extreme. And the results are quicker.

 

[wrathex]

My basic plan at this stage is to change the way that I eat as much as what I eat.

What I eat:

I am kicking cool drinks out completely.
- suggestion Fanta Zero (I drink that and it taste better than sugar Fanta)

Sorry beer -you too pal... good times were had but I cant bear to look in the mirror at this stage, you gotta go.

- suggestion Windhoek Lite (Wiki:The low alcohol (2%), low calorie product Windhoek Light was endorsed by the South African Heart Foundation.)

White bread and white flour pasta are also out.
- suggestion ditch the white bread, completely and for life, and realistically reduce intake of pasta

Fried foods be gone (this is the tough one - I 'naturally' tend toward a good fry up or plate of slap chips.)
- suggestion Ovenbaked chips to fill the gap ( add salt & vinegar, wrap in piece of newspaper and leave to become slap for about 5 minutes)

I have a fairly good grasp on what kind and where carbs, fats and proteins can be found so I'll use that knowledge to inform my choices.

casual examples of zooming in on where you can save but still eat 'good':
- if making samie, if using mayo, then don't marge as well, just use the mayo

- cheese: don't give up cheese, you need the nutrients and some fat, however only eat good everyday cheese eg mature cheddar - strong taste and you need less and cut down a little bit if you're eating too much of it - don't melt it, that increases the calorie value and makes it less digestable

- nuts: start including more nuts in your diet (sprinkled in salad is a good way to start)
- milk: go over to 2% milk for coffee/tea/cereal, for life

- beans: baked beans is your friend - very good value all round protein
(A tin of baked beans can provide a surprisingly nutritious meal. There's approximately 105 calories in every 100g of baked beans, and they also provide a rich source of protein, as well as iron, B vitamins, folic acid and fibre. Baked beans are low in fat and contain no cholesterol so if you are looking for a balanced diet, this could be a great help! source: http://www.weightlossforgood.co.uk/nutrition/baked_beans.htm)

- fruit & veg: If you're not into it and you know you're not getting it, then try to have a Superjuice or two per week - excellent value for money

- meat: don't eat the fat; bake or grill don't fry in oil
- eggs: not too many
- salt: start reducing your salt intake if you're heavy on the hand

The way I eat:
I plan to split my 3 meals a day in half and space them by 3 hours so I will have six meals a day with half the portion size.
I need to drink more water - people recommend 3 litres plus a day, I'll really struggle to drink that much but I think I can get to about 2 litres, I'll see form there.

suggestion:

- eat when you are hungry not when someone rings a bell
- smaller meals can be more effective, they don't make you lethargic, abuse your digestion system or cause blockages lol and will provide more variety in the end.
- nibbling along is an overall better strategy than feasting twice a day

water: about water regulation: the formula is simple and once you understand it, you will be able to improve this basic and critical resource and system:

- the colour of your pee indicates your water statis
- if the colour is almost transparent to light yellow and has a normal p-odour then you are drinking enough
- if the colour is darker yellow to amber, you are not drinking enough (or you had a bad feast or you are ill, but mostly because - you are not drinking enough)
- if you have a generally low toxic intake and drink average - your p is usually light yellow with a slight p-odour
- after feasting, drinking, eating-out, drugs, cigarettes and so on, more water is utilised by system

I am hoping to avoid counting calories and I am dead against supplements and protein shakes and the like but I think that the above changes combined with a regular weight training schedule to increase muscle thus increasing the amount of energy consumed during a given day should yield result within a few months.

It's not a bad idea to know the approximate values of the food in your daily life, I think you'll be fine, oh almost forgot to mention, I increased my personal fitness by gardening and just doing stuff - whilst listening to flipping good music on mp3 player, also did exercises to trance, my own exercise thing majickie routine, which includes stick rotating, dancing, kicking and blocking - my own mixture of fun fitness - all this to the pounding sound of music that's revving you along - get an mp3 player, and get going !

best of luck SlinkyMike

 

[Chicken Boo]

OK so general consensus is that the home gym will become a white elephant before long.

If I may play devil's advocate here:
let's say you spend R500 on a 1 year gym contract (I have no idea what the going rates are, that's just an arb number). you go a few times, get bored, get tired of lying in people's sweat, get tired of Beefcakes posing in front of the mirror all the time, never go again. At the contract end, what do you get back?
let's say you spend R1000 on gym eq, bring it home and never use it. Two years down the line you decide you might as well sell it... even if you flogged it for R100, it's more than you get back from a gym contract.

I am kicking cool drinks out completely.

Best thing you can do.

Sorry beer

Until you start reaching your goals, that may be necessary I would suggest a plan of heavy moderation initially, trying to exclude things wholesale will usually fail with time.

Your plan looks solid, but you need to understand that 90% of the improvement you're looking for is not going to come from hitting weights, but from how you pack your shopping basket.

Don't get carried away with the weight training and neglect the eating side, as many guys tend to do. The amount of exercises you need to do to achieve your goals now is not a lot - a few compound exercises 2-3x a week will do you fine.
do not listen to nonsense about machines targetting muscle groups and whatever, you're not bodybuilding. you don't need protein supplements or creatine either.

If you are serious, you can start exercising right now. Yes, NOW! How many pushups can you do? go on, find out. How many bodyweight squats? If/when you can do 20 of each without getting too out of breathe, move on to resistance weight training.

 

[fastesthamster]

Found these tips before:

Run 5 days a week. Other types of activities include basketball, soccer, other sports. Some kind of cardio for at least 20 - 30 minutes.
Eat less than you burn. If you don't like counting calories and stuff (I know I don't), just start eating less. Stop eating junkfood. All of it. Cottege cheese, protein shakes, etc are your friend.
Lift some [weights]. For losing weight not as essential as cardio but VERY important to get abs/definition.
DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Water helps your body process everything. Cannot stress enough.
Drink less beer. I can't say I abide very well by this, but I try. You can beat this by drinking liquor with diet soda. Not optimal since alcohol itself hinders muscle growth and weight loss but "better for you" calorie/carb wise.
My own personal philosphy for the number 1 rule. "GO". What I mean by this is, if you just get up and go and don't think about it, you won't be able to talk yourself out of it. When you start to negotiate in your head "should I go today?.." that's when you immediately tell yourself to shut up and GO

The "just GO" philosophy works for me.

 

[syntax]

If I may play devil's advocate here:
let's say you spend R500 on a 1 year gym contract (I have no idea what the going rates are, that's just an arb number). you go a few times, get bored, get tired of lying in people's sweat, get tired of Beefcakes posing in front of the mirror all the time, never go again. At the contract end, what do you get back?
let's say you spend R1000 on gym eq, bring it home and never use it. Two years down the line you decide you might as well sell it... even if you flogged it for R100, it's more than you get back from a gym contract.

Firstly, R500, hardly, that coves the joining fee in some places... if you are not on discovery you can expect around R300 a month, (if you are lucky enought o have gotten in early with the VA contracts, then its a once off fee and thats it )

Secondly, you are looking at it from a financial point of view, I think the OP just wants to get in shape... and I have definitely found that I am more likely to exercise when not having the equipment at home

 

[fastesthamster]

- cheese: don't give up cheese, you need the nutrients and some fat, however only eat good everyday cheese eg mature cheddar - strong taste and you need less and cut down a little bit if you're eating too much of it - don't melt it, that increases the calorie value and makes it less digestable

This makes no sense to me. Something less digestible would have fewer calories. Your body can't digest it, so it would pass through.

 

[SlinkyMike]

Thanks for all of the tips.

I just want to clarify that my interest in weight training is not to bulk up, hopefully to tone but mostly to burn more energy on a given day. The more muscle you have the more you burn just by 'being.'

My personality is such that I have to cut it out or not so light beer and diet drinks are out. You can't change by keeping things the same only different - things will end up the same only different... I want to change absolutely so the changes I make need to be absolute.

Also: the 6 meal a day method is far better than eating when you are hungry as it means you are prepared and you have the foods that you will eat each day planned out. Eating when you are hungry (for me at least) will mean working until I literally have to eat now then grabbing the greasiest, easiest thing I can find (read: burger/steers chips/slice of pizza... etc.) and stuffing that in my face, wash down with a fizzy drink and then straight back to my desk, moving only to walk a block to my car then from car to couch and making another large and usually kind of dicey (in terms of fat loss) meal before bed.

Franky I am stunned that I don't look like that 'ten ton teenager' or something...